Three Lick Spiker Ale is brewed with three different roasted malts creating chocolate flavors and full body taste. After fermentation has been completed with our top fermenting ale yeast we infuse our brew with bourbon oak aged chips and let the extended aging process take over. Hints of bourbon and vanilla from the oak come through the aroma and flavor.

Beer: Reviews & Ratings

12 oz brown bottle with a hard to read "produced on" date of 7/24/12 ink jetted on the shoulder.John Henry 3 Lick Spiker Ale poured into my tulip glass a very dark brown and some might say black hue. A 1-finger tan head was produced and quickly shrank to a thin collar of foam with no lacing. The nose is of roasted malt with chocolate and smoke also noted. The smell of bourbon and oak was almost nonexistent. The taste like the nose was dominated by roasted malt and a stronger presence of chocolate and bourbon was noticed. Mouth feel is pretty smooth, a little chewy and medium bodied.

This ale is approximately 3-years old. As a result of its age I feel it has lost some of its bourbon and oak flavor, However, I have not had a fresh ale so I have nothing to compare it to. (790 characters)

Aroma: bourbon, malt, vanilla, no hops, Appearance: Dark brown, ¼” head that quickly dissipates. Flavor: rich malt flavors, slight chocolate, caramel, some vanilla with bourbon in the background. A touch sweet but balances the malt and bourbon flavors. Mouthfeel: moderate body to moderate full, moderate carbonation. Overall: the bourbon flavor is very well done and the rich malt goes very well with the bourbon barrel aging. The alcohol is there but is not as noticeable as 9.1% alcohol would suggest. It is very smooth and drinkable. (540 characters)

The nose is relatively light with coconut and chocolate. The flavor has light malt and grain but a stronger chocolate and coconut mid palate to finish. This isn't particularly complex, strong or even interesting but it's a good drinking beer and that's all I'm in it for. (271 characters)

This beer pours a very dark brown, almost black from the bottle. There is a very thin head that dissipates within a few minutes. The smell is of hops and very little oak, although it said that it was aged with oak chips, they didn't leave much of a mark on the beer. The alcohol is present although not overwhelming. The main focus of the beer is the malt flavor. A bit too noticeable when considering the total package. The mouth feel is nice and full, but the hop bite comes on toward the the back of the mouth.

Overall, it is a good strong ale, a bit hoppy and I have to get used to the dark color, but the mouth feel is nice and full making it an enjoyable drink. The alcohol is well hidden, but jumps up at you about half way through the glass. The flavors of the malts and hops are each pronounced and singular rather than being molded into a smooth blend sharing the glass. (882 characters)

Had in Vegas at random bar. Haven't heard of Cold Springs brewery on east coast. This starts with a popping 9% and heavy bourbon smell right off he bat. This pours extremely dark with little to no head. Bourbon dominates here with a great malty presence. This separates itself from other strong ales as the alcohol doesn't overwhelm the drink. This would be perfect on a cold day. I will drink it until it gets cold out as a result. Great find (443 characters)

Dark brown ale with a light brown head. Has a bourbon aroma and a strong bourbon flavor, with some toasty malts in the mix. Sits nice and warm in the stomach. The bourbon, for me, is a touch overpowering. Highly recommended for those who love the taste of bourbon. Still, I find this a good brew overall. (304 characters)

O: Knowing nothing about the brewery, but being intrigued by the description of the beer itself, I didn't really have any expectations. That said, this is a great beer. Perhaps not the best of strong oaked/barrel aged beers, but a damn good beer. Definitely recommended if you can find it. I've only seen it at a couple places in the Sacramento area. (595 characters)

A: Pours an extremely dark cola color. It *almost* looks like a stout, but not quite. The head is about a fingers worth of mocha shaded head, with some nice creaminess. Retention isn't fantastic, though some decent (if thin looking) lacing is left behind.

S: Sweet and bourbon-y. The sweet (most noticeably vanilla) and the bourbon-y notes upon opening it up are quite pleasant, later being supplanted by caramel, toffee, and cherries. Aromatically, it's a bit too mild, but has decent (if not stunning) depth.

T: At first, it starts with a barrage of vanilla sweetness. It introduces the same problem I had with Anderson Valley Bourbon Barrel Stout, its flavor is overly reminiscent of cola, Dr. Pepper in this case. The bourbon character is there (if rudimentary), but there's no oak character, either. After the vanilla sweetness opens the palate, it shifts somewhat abruptly to a roasted nut character and afterwards, into a clean yet dry toffee laden finish. Actually, the finish has a strange bitter element to it; it's also a touch leathery as well. Thankfully it's not boozy in the least. Good complexity - in an unrefined, messy way that is. Having said that, there's just something very, very likeable about this brew. Warts and all, I'm genuinely enjoying this a lot.

M: The feel is airy, decently carbonated, and somewhat light. A thicker, creamier feel would help suit the sweetness better. Then again, with the light feel, dry finish, and lack of alcohol, it's surprisingly drinkable. It's lack of a decadent feel is its biggest problem.

O: Flawed yet endearing. That's my takeaway from this. It's hardly perfect, and honestly, that's why I enjoy it so much. This is one of those few beers that take you on a wild ride - some of the stops on the journey aren't the greatest, but the end result is something that leaves you craving for more. I could do another bottle of this, honestly. (1,937 characters)

From a 750ml wine-bottle shaped container, the beer pours an intense dark brown...with hints of ruby when held to the light....tan foam tops the beer. The smell is malt and alcohol...some caramel and slightly bunt toffee. The taste is sugary...sweet and boozy. Firm bitterness in the finish. The beer is very full in body, and a little sweet at times. (351 characters)

So crazy a bourbon oak chip aged beer would be a twist off. I press on.

A - A very dark brown black so deep must be the darkest strong ale I ever seen. Head is a 1/4 inch that settles to just a lace ring.S - Not very much bourbon in the smell but it's not barrel aged just chips so its not going to be heavy. Mild sweet malts, some caramel malt, and a mild twang of oak in the smell.T - Ah yes the taste does in fact have some bourbon in the taste. Then some chocolate sweetness followed by your typical caramel and toffee taste you expect in a strong ale with no oak though.M - Medium bodied, silky smooth, easy drinking.

Overall far from the best bourbon ale but quite a steal at just $2.69 a bottle. Taste is smooth! (724 characters)

I'll just call this beer black. It poured with virtually no head. The few bubbles that briefly appeared were mocha colored.

I smelled some bourbon when I poured it. I nose into it it and get some chocolate and vanilla to go with a mild bourbon scent.

I taste the bourbon and vanilla up front and get some chocolate and roasted malt in the aftertaste.

It is very smooth with very little carbonation. It had a screw top, and I have had it for over a year. Maybe some carbonation leaked. I had no idea it was a screw top or I would have consumed it earlier.

This is not a bad beer. It kind of reminds me of a roasted malt version of Kentucky Bourbon Ale. I would definitely drink it again. (732 characters)

750 ml bottle. Served in a DFH snifter, the beer pours dark brown with about an inch tan head. Head retention is good, and there's a decent amount of lacing. Aroma is nice, the brew smells like molasses, vanilla, dark fruit, oak and chocolate. It tastes like oak/wood, dark fruit, bittersweet chocolate, vanilla, bourbon, and some molasses. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's a bit slick and has moderate carbonation. The bourbon character seems stronger in the aroma as compared to the taste. I liked this brew, but I wish there was a little more of a bourbon kick. Still, for $7.99 a bottle it's certainly worth trying. (617 characters)

Pours dark brown with a thin layer of head. The nose is sweet, almost molasses-like. The brown sugar taste is dominant upfront, but it gets significantly less sweet by the finish. Unlike many sweet beers, this offering is not syrupy. However, this offering certainly gets sweeter as it warms.

The body is hearty and this beer clearly "feels" like a high octane brew, but in actuality, the alcohol is well hidden for 9.1%.

I had this with a peanut butter sandwich as a late night snack - the two flavors paired well. (517 characters)

Thin head on a pitch black body. The aroma has a strong oak and burnt wood smell, which is rounded out by a caramel and chocolate note.The taste is not as great as the aroma. It is a watered down version of what should have been burnt wood, roasted malt and dark chocolate.The texture is borderline sticky with low carbonation.Try it, you may like it. (355 characters)

Strong pour into a nonic pint glass to get a one finger head that dissipated quickly to eventually nothing. Color is rich dark brown and had some sticky lacing.

I picked up the roasted malts smell and some raisin also hints of vanilla and oak. Mostly the caramel roasted malts.

The taste is great! These are flavors I love and not overpowering, well balanced. Not too sweat for such a malty beer. I do notice the heat from the alcohol but it fits and I like it. The raisin and vanilla are what stand out to me. Yes, the oak is there but not dominate. Just a bit of bitter to keep it from being too sticky. Did I say I really like this taste? Pour another right now! (reminds me of Kuhnhenn's Dark Heathen Triple Bock, just not as meaty and with more carbonation)

The feel could be better if it were a little thicker and chewy. Just a bit thin and watery but still above average. If it were thicker I think it would add to the taste and make this exceptional but on the other hand it could become to sticky. So? Still nice carbonation and clean feel. No lingering unpleasantness.

Overall for the price and ease of drinking, I plan to come back to this one and will try the other John Henry offerings. Nice job on this one. After having another I had to come back and rate it higher on taste. It does not have to be complex to very enjoyable. (1,344 characters)

Poured an almost pitch black color with two fingers of pillowy tan head. Not as much lacing as I’d thought there would be, average with sporadic spots. Very nice retention of tan foam all the way down.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a 1/2" light brown head over the cloudy brown brew. Head recedes gradually, with lasting lace. Aroma is sweet and oaky.

Taste starts chocolatey sweet with a touch of fusel upfront, creamy in the middle, with a lightly boozy close and a lingering aftertaste, . Mouthfeel is pretty smooth, and drinkability is alright. Doesn't quite all come together as well as I would hope, but not too bad. (497 characters)

Great beer from start to finish. Fully body beer especially for being a 9.1% alc/vol. easy drink ability an great to have with steaks or other food parings depending on your food preference. love the idea of aging on bourbon oak chips. Plus it being Minnesota brew scores more points in my book. Love all three varieties that Cold Spring Brewing offers! (353 characters)

12 oz. bottle poured into a Duvel Tulip style glass. Dark brown in the liquid portion in the thickest regions it's black with brown highlights. Dark tan cap with mostly small bubbles, not much in the way of lacing.

Smell is adequate to good. It's pretty roasty, a strong malt backbone, gives some slight hints of chocolate. However the strongest aromas are vanilla and oak.

Taste again has some roasted malt qualities. Oak, vanilla and some tannins. All meshes together pretty well, not overly strong though.

The mouthfeel is close to full, but a little thinner than I expected. Carbonation is slightly flat, but not too bad. Slight bite from the alcohol and a little bit of an earthy finish at the end, sort of acidic. Fairly drinkable, more of a sipper. Overall worth trying. (781 characters)

pours ultra black, no head, with some floaties. wonder if i was supposed to pour that sediment in....?smells thick and malty with dominating dark fruit.a dryness at the finish. very light for what i was expecting from the aroma. and the abv. some fruit; well, lots of fruit but not 'fruit-y', and lots of roasted malt mixed with the fruit. seems to be lots of vanilla in the middle.overall, a great brew with a great abv. nice, typical roasted malts, easy to bring down. (473 characters)